jlemire

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You like it. Others can only ask "Why?"<div></div>

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On the Hopi Reservation<div></div>

The only pic I have taken so far has been this one.<div></div>

Not sure if this is really the place to post this, but since this

forum is my most-used forum I thought I would put it here... <br>

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Just wanted to start up a discussion about critiquing fellow PN

users' photos. In particular I have issues with people leaving a 2/2

rating and <b>no</b> comments. I like the rating system, but would

rather have useful advice/comments about a photo (i.e., a critique)

than a rating. Especially if someone thinks my photos are lacking.<br>

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Whenever I get the chance, I "stroll" through the critique requests

and make an honest effort to rate/comment on a handful of them. I may

leave a 5/5 or better rating uncommented, but make every effort to

let a photographer know what I personally think is good about the

photo and what could make it better.<br>

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Obviously this is part venting, but while I do respect the right of

users to give out a 2/2 rating for a photo they honestly feels

has "Bad" aesthetics and "Bad" originality, I would like to know why

they think it is so "Bad", so that I can improve.<br>

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I would love to hear if others have had similar experiences or what

anyone thinks PN can do about this (or even if others feel this is a

problem). Thanks

Glen - just curious as to why you wouldn't buy T400CN. Do you have an alternative? I am not planning on processing the film myself - I shoot "nature" mostly (heavy use of Fuji Velvia) and am interested in trying some B&W.

Hans' response is a bit too cut and dry IMHO. Although I own and use a macro lens and although it will help you do close up work, it is not the only way to go. Check out John Shaw's "Close-Ups in Nature" for a myriad of techniques. In the end, perhaps getting a good macro lens will be best for you, but you have other options.

I was just looking on adorama.com for film and noticed that they

offer 2 versions of Kodak's T400CN. One is cheaper than the other

and is listed as "Gray". A few questions:

 

1) Does this stand for "Gray Market"? IF so, what does that really

mean (I've seen the term a bunch, but don't really understand it).

 

2) Should I buy the cheap stuff or is the more expensive version

worth the extra couple of bucks?

 

3) Anyone have any experience with Adorama (or other sites) for

*film* purchases? How would you rate them?

 

Thanks!

All of your comments are greatly appreciated (isn't photo.net great?!). To answer Gloria's question, I guess I am a beginner, though I have been shooting for several years now. This will be my first extended "photo shoot" - typically I spend a few hours somewhere or simply go to shoot a few, particular shots, so I have no idea how much film I would use given an entire 2.5 days of photo time. Hopefully I will not run out, though if I do, I will have learned something for the next time! Thanks again to all.

As I figured, lots of thoughts here, but I am getting a better idea of what to bring. For 2.5 days it basically sounds like I should take between 20 and 50 rolls of film. I must say 50 seems like overkill - I can't imagine myself ever going through that many in a weekend. I'm not sure what I will do yet, but I am starting to think 30-35 total rolls will be good. Thanks too for the suggestions about the variety of film to bring - I will keep it all in mind.

I am scheduled to participate in my first photo workshop this March.

It is relatively small, only a couple of days (Friday afternoon

through Sunday). Since this will be my 1st workshop I have no idea

how much film (and what types) to pack. I know each photographer out

there will answer differently, but I would like to get some kind of

ballpark figure. Essentially, I would like to know, if you were

participating in this workshop, what would you bring?

 

Details: Southeast Arizona, spring desert

I am interested in hearing what some of you do when hiking with your

camera equipment and also want to pack other things (water, extra

clothes, etc). Even on a day hike I need to carry personal

supplies. I have a Lowepro backpack, but it does not allow me to

carry much in terms of non-camera items. How do you handle this?

Thank you very much for the help!

I posted down the line a bit about how to use an auto flash. Now

that I know it basically tells me what f-stop I am supposed to set my

camera to, I was wondering if that assumes that the flash is mounted

on the camera so that flash-to-subject distance is the same as camera-

to-subject distance. Will it matter if I have the flash unit

positioned differently, off camera?

I just figured out what those 4 boxes are for - to set the make of camera: (1)Canon, Pentax, Ricoh, Nikon; (2)Minolta(B); (3)Olympus, Minolta(A); (4)Chinon.

 

Still confused about the rest...

Many years ago I was given a Pentax P3 SLR, a Pentax 50mm lens, and a

Sunpak auto 144 D flash unit. After a few non-serious attempts at

using the system, it went into storage. A few years ago, I

rediscovered the system and began again, with much more intent, to

try taking photographs. I have since "upgraded" to a an auto-

everything SLR and have added some lenses. Until now, I have

completely ignored the flash unit. Looking at the back of the flash

unit leaves me completely baffled. Is there a good (even

illustrated) guide somewhere for how to use one of these things?

 

Apparently I can set an ASA/ISO, as well as choose between two

distance ranges (2-10m or 0.7-3.5m). A particular f-stop is

displayed depending on the combo of ISO and distance. What does that

f-stop represent?

 

Also, the unit shows 4 squares in the lower right with letters in

them (CPRN, M(B), OM(A), and Ch). I can choose one of these. What

are they? What do the letters mean?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I recently acquired the Sigma 105mm macro 2.8 lens and have really been happy with it. I can't say how it compares to the Tamron since I have no experience with it, but I seem to remember an article somewhere comparing the two and essentially saying that image quality was very good with both. I will say that the autofocus is rather slow, but with macro work, I rely on manual focus anyways.

I'll second Sachuest Point - a snowy owl has been making a more-or-less regular appearance there. Nearby is also the Norman Bird Sanctuary, which would also be very good. If you are looking for some migrant waterfowl, Trustom Pond Wildlife Sanctuary (in South County, I forget which town) is great. If you want to try some winter forest pics, try the large Arcadia area or the Alton Jones Wildlife Area (or something like that) - part of URI.

 

I recently moved out of RI, all the way to AZ and listing these places is making me homesick!! Good Luck and Have Fun!

I have read many times on photo.net about using your hand (and

adjusting 1 or so stop) to determine middle tone. I am a bit

confused about the details of this. Specifically, does it matter

that my hand is only and arms length away from my camera when my

subject may be a mountain off in the distance? Does focus matter?

Should the hand fill the entire view finder? I know that I may want

to adjust my exposure for a variety of reasons, but will sticking my

hand in front of my lens be a good starting point? Thanks!

I've just started getting into Nature Photography and have been doing

a lot of research on technique and equipment, etc. Based on what I

have been hearing, I have used only color reversal film (slides) to

take my photos (mostly landscapes). What I would like to know is:

does the slide that looks best projected also look the best on

print? In other words if I have 2 photos and I think 1 of them looks

better than the other when it is projected, is that the one I should

make a print from?